


snowy season

by andnowforyaya



Series: yaya's winter writing blast 2015 [16]
Category: B.A.P
Genre: Coffee Shops, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-20 07:13:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5996445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andnowforyaya/pseuds/andnowforyaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yongguk works in a coffee shop and connects with a customer who is not having a very good week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. yongguk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YouxJr (yokukoku)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=YouxJr+%28yokukoku%29).



> For YouxJr @aff/ao3, who wanted:
> 
> Daehyun used to love the winter, but then something happened and now he hates it. Yongguk is a winter spirit that obtain his energy from people loves of winter. Yongguk is getting weaker, so he wants Daehyun to change his mind.

The bell above the door rings, and Yongguk looks up from where he is wiping down the counter of the coffee shop with a rag. He’s only started at the coffee shop a couple of weeks ago, moved to this city as winter settles over it, knowing he’ll need to relocate again in a few months. The shop is in a sleepy part of town, its low profile made even lower when a blizzard leaves it covered in snow.

Here he comes again, Yongguk thinks, already feeling his energy being sapped as he wipes down the counter of the coffee shop. He watches surreptitiously, taking in the hunch of the customer’s shoulders, how small he seems under all his winter layers. Despite the heavy aura shrouding over this customer and the way their interactions leave Yongguk feeling, despite the fact that the customer is a stranger, Yongguk can’t help but feel a slight responsibility over him.

The young man walks up to the counter and mumbles something behind his thick scarf, his eyes slightly puffy and downcast, his cheeks and the tip of his nose red from the howling wind outside.

Yongguk straightens, putting the rag away and standing behind the register. “Sorry, can you repeat your order?”

The other man pulls the scarf down from his face, revealing full, curved lips. “One small hot chocolate, please,” he says in a small voice. He doesn’t make eye contact.

For the past week, he’s been coming in here every evening for a small hot chocolate, so really Yongguk should know his order by now; maybe he’s just hoping that one day the man will be able to order his favorite drink without such a defeated expression on his face.

Yongguk frowns as the sudden urge to go to the back of the cafe and take a nap rushes over him. As a winter spirit, he gets his energy from people enjoying winter, which also feels like one of the downfalls of being one. Another might be that he can’t stand the heat and migrates like a bird every half-year, seeking the cold weather, though this isn’t so bad as he’s decided he likes traveling, and has started to look forward to when he is planning for his next move.

The consequence of his energy levels being contingent on people’s feelings about the season is that he is generally a rather low-energy person, and he’s perfectly okay with that. Once, he spent a winter working at a ski resort, thinking it would be a good idea to be around people who generally love winter and what the season provides, but found himself nearly manic with energy and unable to sleep. He left partway through the season and relocated to a quieter town near the ski resort, and realized this was more his speed: calm and reserved with the occasional peaks.

Rarely, in these sleepy towns, does his energy dip to a dangerously low point, so when it does start to, Yongguk likes to address the matter quickly and decisively.

But he takes one look at the other man and his heart freezes up, taking in the huge puffy layers, his beany, his ridiculous lips, the high bridge of his nose. And his eyes. Full lashes and dark irises and a little beauty mark near the corner of one eye. As Yongguk drinks him in, the other man’s lower lip starts to tremble.

“I said, small hot chocolate, please,” he says in a louder voice, though it is shaky. His eyes are welling up, and Yongguk blinks and takes a step back in surprise. There really is no reason he can see to get emotional over hot chocolate.

“Yes, of course,” Yongguk says quickly, bustling into action even as his limbs grow heavier and heavier with the other’s sadness. “I’m sorry -- I was just off in another world, I guess.”

The customer sniffs and rubs at his nose, eyes glassy. “No, I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m not having a great week. God, I hate winter sometimes.”

The words are like an icepick to Yongguk’s heart. He barely manages to retain his hold on the mug in his hands as he gets the customer’s drink ready. But those words must also be like a leak in a pipe, because the customer continues speaking. “It’s just _so cold_ , and lonely, and dark in my apartment. And I keep ordering take out so there’s no food in the refrigerator anymore except for my sad leftovers. And the couch is bare because my boyfriend took all the throw blankets when he left -- my ex-boyfriend, I guess, and--”

He snaps his mouth shut when Yongguk turns back around with his drink in hand, giving it to him over the counter.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, hanging his head low and looking like the wind outside had dragged him around the whole town.

Yongguk offers him a small smile. “It’s okay,” he responds, feeling an instantaneous lift of energy when the customer tries to give him a smile back. “Why don’t you go take a seat? I’ll bring something out to you.”

“Oh no,” the other man protests. He shakes his head and holds the mug of hot chocolate in both hands. “That’s okay, you don’t need to do that--”

“I want to.”

The customer’s mouth falls open, and Yongguk can’t help but stare at his plump lower lip. “I’m Daehyun,” the customer says, blushing.

“Well, Daehyun, please take a seat, and I’ll be right with you.”

.

 


	2. daehyun

On the walk home there is a very distinct spring in Daehyun’s step. He might even be skipping, despite the harsh wind that pulls off the hood of his big jacket every few steps he takes, and despite the cold biting the tips of his fingers and his nose. Still, the hot chocolate had given his body a much-needed sugar boost, and the slice of cheesecake the barista -- Yongguk, Daehyun now knows -- brought out for him to enjoy only added to it. His cheeks still feel flushed from the warmth of the drink and the inside of the coffee shop. He pictures Yongguk and the way he’d smiled at him as he put down the free treat and giggles out loud, hands stuffed in his pockets.

It’s been a while since another man’s smiled at him like that, Daehyun thinks. Not since--

He shakes his head to clear that thought and the thoughts just behind it. It’s been a week and Daehyun is having a nice night where a nice man paid attention to him and he’s not going to ruin it for himself now, not when things are looking up, up, up.

He turns the corner and a blast of frigid air stops him in his tracks. A collective gasp rises from the people scuttling to and fro around him, and one young girl calls out as her hat is yanked from her head by the wind. Luckily, she snatches it before it can get too far. The cold is slowly taking over the residual heat remaining in his body. As he rounds another corner, he suppresses a full and long shiver before stepping into the doorway of his apartment.

Daehyun’s been living here a few years now, going to school part-time and working at a local studio. He’d moved to be with _him_. The man who must not be named. Looking back on it, he should have known better than to pick up his life when he was so young just to be with a man who had always shown less interest in Daehyun than Daehyun had shown in him. But he’d thought himself romantic. Now, saddled with their half-empty apartment after his ex broke things off to take advantage of an opportunity he’d been offered in another _country_ , and basically friendless to boot because all of his friends are still back home, Daehyun only feels a bit pathetic.

And lonely.

And mostly friendless.

Sighing as he stomps up his stairs in an effort to dislodge the snow that’s accumulated on the soles, he pulls out his phone and keys and lets himself into the apartment, already dialing his best friend from home, Youngjae, as he slips out of his jacket, hat, and scarf.

It’s one thing to be out of the apartment and sharing smiles with a nice and cute barista, but it’s another thing to be back inside the apartment and reminded of the state of his life.

The only thing in the living room is the couch and coffee table. His ex had bought the TV and pettily took it home with him instead of leaving it there. The kitchen is relatively intact, as that area of the apartment has always been Daehyun’s domain. The worst is the bedroom and the huge bed inside of it, and the half-empty wardrobe and dresser. Daehyun steels himself before going in and crawling into his side of the bed, curled up on his side in his jeans and sweater and waiting for Youngjae to pick up.

He does, of course, with a gentle greeting.

It’s enough for the hills of emotions Daehyun's been riding all day to catch up with him at the sound of his friend's voice. He wishes he were home. He wishes Youngjae were here. He wishes someone were in bed with him, holding him and reminding him he’s cared for and loved. He starts to cry before he can respond.

“Yah,” Youngjae says loudly. “Did that jackass try to call you or something? What a jerk -- I told you, Daehyunnie, you’re so much better than he is, you’re--”

“He didn’t try to call me,” Daehyun manages, rubbing at his eyes. The sudden tears have stopped, and it leaves him feeling silly. “I’m sorry -- I don’t know. It’s been...a weird day?”

“What do you mean?” Youngjae asks carefully, and Daehyun warms at the protectiveness in his tone.

He mumbles something under his breath, quick and shy, chewing on his bottom lip.

“What?” Youngjae asks.

Daehyun inhales deeply, closes his eyes and pictures Yongguk’s smile over the mug of his hot chocolate. “I think I met someone nice,” he says.

.


	3. yongguk

Over the next few weeks, the blizzard passes and the snow freezes into boulder formations on the sidewalks and roads, and Daehyun regularly visits the coffee shop where Yongguk works. Rather than take his hot chocolate away, however, he starts to spend more and more time sitting in the cozy shop with a book open in front of him and sneaking glances at Yongguk as he works.

How does Yongguk know this? He catches Daehyun gazing at him more than once, smirking when Daehyun always goes pink at the cheeks and hastily picks up his book again. Yongguk finds it adorable.

If he had known all it took to awaken this cuteness was a simple offering of his smile (and a free treat), he’d have done so much sooner. Sometimes, he’ll bring out another treat for Daehyun to munch on, and sometimes when the flow of customers is especially slow, he’ll sit down with him.

This is exactly what he does this evening. The snow has turned to a frosty rain outside, and no one is out and about if they don’t have to be; no one, it seems, except for Daehyun. Overhead, soft music plays in concert with the rain, and Daehyun blushes as he aggressively keeps his eyes on his open book.

“What are you reading?” Yongguk asks casually, his legs sprawled in front of him in the chair opposite Daehyun. The coffee shop is empty of other customers, and Yongguk is bored. He’s been feeling restless lately, a spike of energy in the air, and he has a sneaking suspicion that it’s because of Daehyun’s apparent lift in mood. It’s not a bad restlessness -- it just makes him want to go out and _do_ things. Things like strike up a conversation with the cute customer who comes in almost every evening.

“O-oh,” Daehyun stammers. “Uh.” He looks at the cover of his book. “ _Let the Right One In_ ,” he reads aloud. “It’s about...vampires.”

Yongguk raises an eyebrow and leans into the table, interest piqued. Daehyun notices and his lips begin to curl at the corners in a grin, though Yongguk can tell he’s holding back. “I didn’t take you for a vampire-fantasy fan,” Yongguk says.

“Well,” Daehyun explains. “It’s not, like, _Twilight_ vampires? It’s darker. It’s not really a romance. Although it’s romantic. I think it’s more about the capacity for good and evil in all of us, even those who people might deem monsters.”

Music plays overhead, and Yongguk stares, and Daehyun’s blush deepens.

“It’s just a book,” Daehyun mutters under his breath, looking downcast.

Yongguk pulls the book from him, being careful to keep the page where he is reading marked. “It sounds interesting,” he says, skimming the pages. The word _monsters_ rings in his head. Years and years ago, he might have been considered one. “When you’re done, you’ll have to let me borrow it.”

“Yeah?” Daehyun asks. His voice is high and hopeful, and his eyes wide.

Yongguk nods, giving the book back to him. “Yeah.”

He goes back to the counter and plates a brownie, bringing it back to the little table for them to share.

.

“149 years I’ve known you,” Himchan says over the phone, “and you choose _now_ to develop a crush? I thought crushes were for teenagers. Not for fully-grown seasonal spirits?”

Yongguk laughs with his friend. Himchan, the essence of Fall, is snappish, brisk, and cool, like leaves that have just fallen from their branches. Unlike Yongguk, he doesn’t have to move with the seasons as long as the place he’s chosen to settle is mild and temperate all year round. As such, he’s decided his home for the decade is San Francisco.

“It’s not really a crush,” Yongguk argues lightly, flipping through channels on his television and sinking into the cushions of his couch. He lives comfortably, having been able to accumulate his wealth over an entire century. “He’s interesting. He effects my energy more than others usually do.”

“Plus, he’s cute,” Himchan summarizes, and Yongguk has to give him that one. “So you want my -- what -- opinion, or something? You want my advice on how to pursue him?” Yongguk can imagine Himchan waggling his brows in this moment, even though he can’t see him. “Is he as laid back as Jongup is? Because otherwise the whole, _’I’m a spirit of the seasons’_ thing might freak him out. Comes on a little strong.”

Yongguk shrugs. The television is playing some mid-day soap opera that Yongguk has been watching intermittently. “I just wanted to talk about him to someone.”

“It _is_ a crush!” Himchan shouts victoriously. “It’s okay Yongguk-ah. Don’t worry; I’ll help you through it…”

Yongguk unceremoniously hangs up, and his phone buzzes just a moment later with a text from Himchan: _crush advice 1: don’t be a grumpy grandpa_.

Over the next couple of minutes, he chooses to ignore Himchan’s text and lets himself be drawn into the soap opera. Then, his phone buzzes again.

_crush advice 2: ask him out on a date!_

.


	4. daehyun

At the coffee shop, Daehyun watches Yongguk work.

Yongguk has this sort of ease of movement about him that Daehyun has never been able to manage himself; a man as lanky as Yongguk shouldn’t be able to be so graceful, and yet he is, like the range of his motion is a practiced dance that has been perfected over dozens of years. Daehyun runs into things even if he sees them, latches onto people like he’s always trying not to fall. As Daehyun lets his eyes linger over the taper of the small of Yongguk’s back, where the strings of his half-apron are tied into a neat bow over his fitted tee and dark jeans, he allows himself to imagine how it would feel to lean against the older man. To have those long fingers tracing over his lips and cheeks.

Heats rises to the surface of his skin and he looks down at his book in haste when Yongguk turns around with two plates in hand, little sandwiches fresh off the panini press on each plate. Slowly, Daehyun lifts his gaze again, and Yongguk walks the plates over to two customers sitting in the far corner of the shop, winking to Daehyun as he passes.

Two weeks of this and Daehyun can’t tell if Yongguk is flirting or not. Maybe Yongguk is just an extremely nice man. Maybe Daehyun's reading into things too much. He’s been out of the game for so long, with his ex for a little over half a decade when he left, and during those years Daehyun hadn’t paid much attention to the dating scene. He’s sure he’s still a reasonably attractive young man on the outside but all of his flirting techniques, all of his mannerisms, suddenly feel extremely questionable. He’d been himself for the past few years with his ex...and obviously that hadn’t worked out.

Daehyun frowns, sulking into his book, hearing footsteps getting closer. Yongguk sits down across from him, prompting Daehyun to look up again.

“Made any progress?” Yongguk nods to his book, and Daehyun raises the cover for him to see. This one is an old favorite: _Stardust_. A love story.

“I read this one almost every year…” Daehyun says, uncertain how he’ll come across. Does Yongguk even like reading? He must; he asked Daehyun for the book he was reading last week.

“Must be good then,” Yongguk says, just sitting, just smiling. Daehyun’s heart goes pitter-patter, pitter-patter, dancing in his ribcage. “Listen,” Yongguk continues, leaning forward now, “I was wondering if you were free this weekend? I’d like to take you out for a drink. Coffee, maybe. Just not at this shop.”

Time freezes for Daehyun as he stares dumbly at Yongguk, the book in his hands like a shield. He examines Yongguk’s face for any trace of teasing or malice but finds nothing but wonderful sincerity, and slowly puts the book down again.

“I’d love that,” Daehyun says very, very calmly.

Yongguk’s smile beams out from his face at him. “Great,” Yongguk responds. “Give me your number, then. I’ll text you the place. Or maybe I can pick you up?”

“Either,” Daehyun squeaks, to which Yongguk smiles even wider. His teeth are bright and dazzling.

He manages to exchange numbers with Yongguk without breaking anything, and then another customer comes in. Apologetic, Yongguk stands up to take care of their order, and in that brief moment, Daehyun packs up his things and escapes through the front door.

.

“--and then I just ran away!” Daehyun moans into the phone at Youngjae, draped over his couch in his apartment. “I’m so embarrassing, Youngjae. I didn’t even say bye.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Youngjae says, sighing. “You exchanged numbers and you kind of set a date, right? Plus he got busy. Just text him and say you’re excited about the date!”

“What do I say? Dear Yongguk, I’m really looking forward to seeing you outside of your coffee shop this weekend. Love, Daehyun.”

Youngjae snorts. “It’s a text message -- not a love letter.”

“What if it’s too soon?” Daehyun asks, dumping out all of his worries for Youngjae to sort through. Or for them to sort through together, or something. “It’s only been a couple of weeks. We just broke things off. I’m lonely and not good at being alone. What if this is me fixating on the first guy who’s nice to me? What if this doesn’t last? What if he’s _boring_?”

“Daehyun,” Youngjae says sternly, cutting off Daehyun’s tirade and making him sit up on the couch like he’s a student being chastised by a teacher at school. “It’s not too soon. It’s normal for you to like a guy who’s being nice and showing interest in you. You shouldn’t feel guilty about moving on from that jerk at all. And you won’t know if Yongguk’s boring until you give him a chance.”

Daehyun chews on his bottom lip, thinking over Youngjae’s words. Finally, he deflates and sinks into the cushions. “You’re right. You’re always right. Anyway, enough about me...how’re things with you? How’s Junhong?”

Happily, Youngjae shares a story from his week involving a date gone awry with Junhong involving the park, a picnic, and a very overexcited puppy.

.


	5. yongguk and daehyun

“How does this look?” Daehyun spins in a slow circle in front of his laptop, holding his arms out from his sides a little bit. He’s wearing a tight black tank and tight black jeans and it honestly feels a bit like he’s being swallowed by a boa constrictor, but he thinks he looks okay.

“Good, if you’re thinking about going clubbing at like one o’clock in the afternoon?” Youngjae replies, a little tinny and broken up over the video chat. “And like you’ll freeze to death if you step outside? Put on a sweater or something. Aren’t you just going to lunch? Just wear something normal.”

“I’m trying,” Daehyun says, pulling off his tank in frustration and standing in front of his half empty closet. Is it possible that his ex took some of Daehyun’s own clothing with him when he left? Because he can’t find anything he wants to wear. “Have my clothes always been so...boring?” He throws shirt after shirt after sweater onto his bed, growing more and more anxious with each item of clothing he tosses. “Yongguk will be here in ten minutes and I’m a mess!”

“But a very cute mess?” Youngjae supplies helpfully. “Why don’t you wear those jeans with the long grayish cardigan you have? With a dark shirt. You’ll look cozy and not like you’re trying too hard, but still good.”

“How did you even remember I have that?” Daehyun mutters under his breath, searching for the item Youngjae is referencing. He finds it buried under the pile of clothes that have accumulated on his bed. He pulls on a looser-fitting v-neck tee and slips into the cardigan, ruffling up his hair and posing for Youngjae again. “Okay -- like this?”

“Much better,” Youngjae says. “Stop worrying! He already thinks you’re cute. You’ve already impressed him on that front.”

“How do _you_ know?” As Youngjae responds, Daehyun hides in the bathroom to fix his hair. Side part? Styled? Messy or smooth? In the end he runs his fingers through the tangled mess and attempts to part the hair framing his face at the side and calls it a day. Then he puts on a little tinted lip balm. That never hurts.

“I know you’ve been out of the dating scene for a while, Daehyun,” Youngjae is saying, “but seriously. You’re cute. I’m not even surprised someone honed in on you right away. You’re fucking adorable, man.”

“Youngjae…” Daehyun says, coming out of the bathroom and fiddling with the long sleeves of the cardigan dripping over his fingertips. “That’s not--”

“No denials. You’re only allowed to say, ‘Thank you.’”

“Thank you,” Daehyun parrots, heat in his cheeks. He sits at his desk in front of his laptop. “I’m nervous. Thanks for chatting with me. And dressing me. And just -- generally being you.”

“I’m the best friend any person could have,” Youngjae boasts.

“You are--” The doorbell rings. “He’s here!” Daehyun cries out.

“Well, you better go get him. And invite him in.” Youngjae smirks. He coos in an uncharacteristically sweet voice, “Enjoy your lunch.”

“Bye. Thank you! Bye!” He ends the call and slams the screen of his laptop shut harder than he intended, wincing at the noise. In socked feet, he starts to run to the door, then abruptly slows to a walk because, ew, he doesn’t want to look so desperate, then immediately slips on his lacquered floors in his socks and bashes into the wall right beside the door. “Great…”

Sheepishly, he inches the door open, meeting Yongguk’s concerned face.

“Are you okay?” Yongguk asks, his voice deep, sending shivers down Daehyun’s spine.

“Yeah I just -- ran. Into the wall. I’m fine. Are those flowers?”

“I think they’re carnations?” Yongguk says, offering them to Daehyun. They are a deep, vibrant red and wrapped delicately in paper. “Do you like them?”

“I love them,” Daehyun says immediately, opening the door wider and ushering Yongguk inside. “Thank you so much. Let me just find somewhere to put them…”

He takes the flowers from Yongguk, grinning happily to himself, and rummages around the kitchen and living room quickly for a vase. He finds an empty one in the bookcase and goes to fill it with water. “Can I get you a drink?” he asks Yongguk as he arranges the flowers. They look beautiful in the kitchen, or maybe right in the center of his coffee table. He can’t decide.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Yongguk goes deeper into the apartment, taking in the way it feels half-finished, how small Daehyun seems inside of it. “It’s a big place,” he remarks.

“Too big,” Daehyun says immediately, reappearing at Yongguk’s side with a jacket in his hands. “I’m still getting used to it.” His smile flickers for just a moment before he tentatively reaches out a hand to touch Yongguk’s elbow. “Shall we go?”

Yongguk smiles softly, letting Daehyun put his hand at his elbow, and they walk out of the apartment together.

.

Lunch naturally continues into a two-hour shared dessert, which turns into tea. When their waiter starts hovering over their table like a nervous bee, Yongguk picks up the check and they relocate to a small, divey bar. This early in the evening, the bar is warm and populated by an intimate crowd. Daehyun looks flushed in the amber light as they sit at the bar on the squeaky stools, and Yongguk laughs when Daehyun points out a funny looking painting on the wall.

“That’s the owner’s dog,” Yongguk says. They are each having a beer but in no hurry to finish. This whole afternoon has felt like a dream. Daehyun never wants it to end; Yongguk, it seems, is a wealth of interesting cultural knowledge and passion for music. Daehyun, used to being the one to carry conversation, could listen to him talk forever.

“What’s that look for?” Yongguk asks, tapping Daehyun lightly on the nose. Over the course of the last few hours, physical barriers between them have diminished, also. Daehyun’s hand rests on Yongguk’s knee.

“Nothing,” Daehyun says. “I’m just having a really good time with you.”

This time, it is Yongguk who blushes.

.

By the time Yongguk is walking Daehyun up the steps to his apartment, the sun has long since set. Throughout the day, the temperature has dropped considerably, even though Daehyun’s mood has lifted higher and higher. Yongguk feels invincible. Strange how a couple of hours with Daehyun could energize him so, but he doesn’t question it, not when Daehyun turns back and beams that smile at him in front of his door.

“When can I see you again?” Yongguk asks, unabashed and eager.

A gust of cool wind rushes past them, and Daehyun shivers into his coat, laughing. “Miss me already?”

“I will as soon as you step inside,” Yongguk says. Himchan would be proud of that line, he tells himself, even though he knows that in a couple of hours he’ll think back on it and cringe. Still, Daehyun seems pleased by it, his cheeks flushing bright pink. Another cold breeze. When Daehyun hunches into his jacket, Yongguk steps against him, shielding him from the cold.

“Tomorrow?” Daehyun says. “I’ll come by the shop.”

“I mean, when can I take you out again?” Yongguk specifies, letting his arms go around Daehyun’s little waist. He’s nearly as narrow as Yongguk is there, if not narrower.

“Tomorrow night?” Daehyun says, his voice muffled by Yongguk’s jacket.

“It’s a date,” Yongguk agrees. By now, Daehyun is pressed against the door. He looks up at Yongguk, his lips slightly parted, and Yongguk leans down and kisses him.

.

The next day, there is another blizzard. Yongguk closes up the coffee shop because they won’t have any customers anyway, texts Daehyun, and walks the short distance over to Daehyun’s apartment with two hot chocolates in hand.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed~ thanks for reading <3


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